Ollie Chetham, who suffered a knee injury during last week’s training camp in Girona, has emerged as a major injury doubt for England as they take on New Zealand in their autumn international on Saturday.
The 24-year-old missed the summer tour of Japan and New Zealand due to a shoulder injury but has been in excellent form for Leicester this season. He started every game in the Six Nations earlier this year and manager Steve Borthwick rates him highly, using him as a second-row and blindside flanker during his tenure. Especially considering Courtney Rhodes has retired from international duty.
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England have not yet announced the expected duration of his layoff as they await test results, but the worst-case scenario is that they will miss next month’s scheduled games against the All Blacks, Australia, South Africa and Japan at Twickenham. He will likely miss the entire series. . Missing any games since the New Zealand game will be a major setback for Borthwick ahead of the season, which is at a crucial stage in his tenure.
Chetham, who was one of 17 players to sign extended contracts with England on Friday, was also initially ruled out of last year’s World Cup after sustaining a severe ankle injury on the training ground during international duty in March 2023. I was worried that it would disappear.
During his absence over the summer, Chandler Cunningham-South was used as a blindside flanker, with Chetham’s Leicester teammate George Martin partnering Maro Itoje in the second row. Tom Curry was used as a substitute throughout the tour, but could rekindle the partnership between Sam Underhill and the Kamikaze Kids in the back row, with Ben Earl sure to start against New Zealand. Charlie Ewells, Nick Isiekwe, Alex Dombrandt and Ben Currie are the other back-five options at Borthwick’s disposal.
Borthwick already have first-choice scrumhalf Alex Mitchell out for the season with a neck injury, while Fraser Dingwall is also recovering from a knee injury. George Ford continued his rehabilitation from a quadriceps injury in Girona.
